Escape!

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

Ok so last night in preparation for my 5 new slings coming today I decided to rehouse 2 of my B. albopilosums that I recently received from a member here as a freebie. These guys are the smallest slings I have. Both about 1/4". And although they were in appropriate sized containers, they were in containers with sub par ventilation and the lid wasn't see through so it was hard to check on the spider. So I made new portion cup enclosures last night and placed the slings in them.

Well.... I should've gone one step further and put my 2 biggest B. albopilosums in my new containers as they were quite large and the ventilation holes were a little big on the side too, not too big, but not pinhole sized either. Instead I left them in the small cups and put the small spiders in the new big cups.

And I'm a moron.

This morning I'm short one B. albo.

I never even got to feed the little guy.

I hate that I did this. Such a lack of common sense and laziness last night. I feel really sick to my stomach. I know it's only a spider and one I didn't pay for.... But I was irresponsible with an animals life and here I am expecting a bunch more.

Anyways I'm never looking after a T under 1/2" again I think. And I'm getting smaller pins for deli cup ventilation.

Goodbye B albopilosum #5
You were a fine T

BobGrill · Sep 12, 2014

It'll most likely turn up at some point. You probably just need a more secure enclosure with smaller holes and/or less gaps.

iemmaamme · Sep 12, 2014

My first T escaped within the first 3 days of having him, from putting him in an enclosure with too-big vents. Thankfully I found him chilling on my baseboard heat register. I'd search any dark, warm spots in the vicinity of the cage. Don't give up hope OP! There are plenty of stories of people finding their escapees months after the fact. Just another lesson learned in the hobby that keeps us on our toes

Beary Strange · Sep 12, 2014

Don't give up hope. There are so many stories of little Ts turning up after a few months. And I doubt it would have gone far.

Ghost Dragon · Sep 12, 2014

Very sorry, gobey. I hope he turns up & is okay.

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

Ugh it was just one of those moments where I had the thought "should I use this enclosure or not?" And when you have to think that. The answer is no. It's fine for the larger curly hair sling. But I'm rethinking that too.... Today is going to be sling enclosure day.... I'll look for him asap... He's so tiny though.

The whole day though will be serious sling enclosures. Only the best will be used.

z32upgrader · Sep 12, 2014

In the future, if you have even the slightest suspicion that a sling might be able to escape, do what I do, and place the Ts enclosure inside a sealed container for the night. That's what I did with my A. chalcodes sling. Even though it had a fat abdomen, I didn't trust the little guy and stuck his whole enclosure inside a larger one with a screen vent, and sure enough, I found him chilling on the floor of the larger enclosure in the morning. I would have certainly lost the little guy if I hadn't. A little tape over the holes from the inside and a hole poked with a needle is enough to contain little slings.
Good luck finding it!

skippydude · Sep 12, 2014

I use 2oz deli cups for my terrestrial slings and a sewing machine needle or 14 guage syringe to make the air holes.

Best of luck finding your freed freebie. If you recover it, maybe you can name it "Free Willie"

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

skippydude said:
I use 2oz deli cups for my terrestrial slings and a sewing machine needle or 14 guage syringe to make the air holes.

Best of luck finding your freed freebie. If you recover it, maybe you can name it "Free Willie"

I'm gonna name him "Skippydude" if I find him.

And yeah I realized now I need to be using pins & needles for ventilation in these deli cups because the skewer I was using begins to just slightly crack the cups. Hence the smallest one decided to make his way out to freedom. Even though I thought he was just bigger than the hole.

I should have learned from having mice. If a small animal can fit it's head through a hole, it will, and it's body will follow.

It's all a lesson right?

I had no attachment to this T at all until it was gone. Now I want it back like it was my favorite.

Come back Skippydude!!!

skippydude · Sep 12, 2014

Rule of thumb here is "Make the holes smaller than the T's carapace or they will escape"

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

I thought it was smaller.... :/

I thought wrong...

My new rule also is don't make tarantula decisions last minute at midnight when you have to be up to teach a class at 8 am....

That's when real irresponsible decisions get made too.

awiec · Sep 12, 2014

I know it's not a T but my baby boa got loose once and was missing for 2 months... during the Michigan winter. I found him on Christmas alive and well in the bathroom; we think he was living in the vents. I'd suggest looking near the cage, spiders don't usually wander too far when they are small. Think like a spider, any dark nooks and crannies they are all over it and just step really carefully. I use the wine bottle opener on my pocket knife to make holes, only dwarf species slings could ever hope getting out of those holes.

MrsHaas · Sep 12, 2014

Don't feel bad it one night I left the cage open and my B Smith he got away luckily I found him within the first five minutes of looking but he was out all night long it happens to the best of us don't beat yourself up

--J.Haas

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

Well I just unpacked 5 slings. And made their enclosures with a safety pin for ventilation. Much smaller holes. No cracks in the deli cups.

Hopefully no escapes here. Although I have some missing limbs now. I'm getting lots of T keeping firsts this week. :sarcasm:

ratluvr76 · Sep 12, 2014

gobey said:
Well I just unpacked 5 slings. And made their enclosures with a safety pin for ventilation. Much smaller holes. No cracks in the deli cups.

Hopefully no escapes here. Although I have some missing limbs now. I'm getting lots of T keeping firsts this week. :sarcasm:

why are you missing limbs.. did one of your arms fall off??

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

ratluvr76 said:
why are you missing limbs.. did one of your arms fall off??

Yes out of excitement of getting my first Pokie my right arm #3 fell right off..

pyro fiend · Sep 12, 2014

Dont beat urself up..so long as you dont have tonns of wild spiders around youl see him soon.. iv had herps go awol befor.. and end up fine inface my ball/royal python houdini got out 4 times first 6hrs i had him. then after 2weeks awol a month i only found him when i heard him kill a field mouse he was wedged in a super tight spot 1/3 his size.. if i had fallen asleep, taken trash out or even gone to bathroom.. i may have never found him xD .. also buddy had a A.hentzi go awol at 1/2 in a long while back.. we just found it yesterday at 2"+

And dont fret on the limbs either.. idk wat happened with urs but i just noticed my p.cambridgei has a gimp leg.. like legit mangled small etc. And he just molted and was fine befor...im pretty sure me letting it get too dry(in fear of being to damp) made it get the limb stuck in molt somehow and get mangled.. i keep beating myself up... but ik itl fix itself thats how nature works x3

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

pyro fiend said:
Dont beat urself up..so long as you dont have tonns of wild spiders around youl see him soon.. iv had herps go awol befor.. and end up fine inface my ball/royal python houdini got out 4 times first 6hrs i had him. then after 2weeks awol a month i only found him when i heard him kill a field mouse he was wedged in a super tight spot 1/3 his size.. if i had fallen asleep, taken trash out or even gone to bathroom.. i may have never found him xD .. also buddy had a A.hentzi go awol at 1/2 in a long while back.. we just found it yesterday at 2"+

And dont fret on the limbs either.. idk wat happened with urs but i just noticed my p.cambridgei has a gimp leg.. like legit mangled small etc. And he just molted and was fine befor...im pretty sure me letting it get too dry(in fear of being to damp) made it get the limb stuck in molt somehow and get mangled.. i keep beating myself up... but ik itl fix itself thats how nature works x3

Man I hope I find it before it's 2". Because I'll be moved out before it's that big. I'm afraid it'll be house spider food now. He's about 1/4". Smallest sling I had. And how I know I never want anything less than 1/2".

As far as missing limbs. I just got 2 P. Regalis. One with a missing leg on the right side. Not worried about it, he's still fast as all hell. But I was pushing my other new OBT sling out of his straw and he had his back legs (one on each side) get caught and he dropped them. I think he'll be fine to as he was also fast as hell and I know both species molt quickly. I'll be sure to feed them appropriately sized crickets. Maybe wound the OBTs food first. He did fall down a few times. He seems fine now for a 6 legged spider. He's 1/2". The Regalis is a little over an inch.

Again, I'm not super worried about it. I'm just going through some tarantula keeping rite of passages I feel right now. Comes with the territory of having slings right?

pyro fiend · Sep 12, 2014

gobey said:
Man I hope I find it before it's 2". Because I'll be moved out before it's that big. I'm afraid it'll be house spider food now. He's about 1/4". Smallest sling I had. And how I know I never want anything less than 1/2".

As far as missing limbs. I just got 2 P. Regalis. One with a missing leg on the right side. Not worried about it, he's still fast as all hell. But I was pushing my other new OBT sling out of his straw and he had his back legs (one on each side) get caught and he dropped them. I think he'll be fine to as he was also fast as hell and I know both species molt quickly. I'll be sure to feed them appropriately sized crickets. Maybe wound the OBTs food first. He did fall down a few times. He seems fine now for a 6 legged spider. He's 1/2". The Regalis is a little over an inch.

Again, I'm not super worried about it. I'm just going through some tarantula keeping rite of passages I feel right now. Comes with the territory of having slings right?

I dono if id day they ate rights of passage i never want a t escape xs and theres a few ppl ik who been keeping 30 and 45 yrs never been bit or had an escapee

i believe the term is learning curb x3

i myself am always skitzo about size of holes..heck i even put actual needle holes covering 95% of a 30oz container till i convinced myself my 1" avic was big enough for larger holes, so i used tonns of holes from a paper clip xD heck id rather have 3000 tiny holes then 4 large ones and thats my rule of thumb lolonly small evough for the T to put its leg on lol even my 3-4in genic has 1/8 in holes lmao

Ah well ig the dropped limbs arnt so bad thought mighta get them stuck in lid as u closed it or something. At least u dont hafta eyeball a bum leg *glares at P. cam* lol theyl be back. But just look around im sure hes within a few feet of his tub

gobey · Sep 12, 2014

pyro fiend said:
I dono if id day they ate rights of passage i never want a t escape xs and theres a few ppl ik who been keeping 30 and 45 yrs never been bit or had an escapee i believe the term is learning curb x3

i myself am always skitzo about size of holes..heck i even put actual needle holes covering 95% of a 30oz container till i convinced myself my 1" avic was big enough for larger holes, so i used tonns of holes from a paper clip xD heck id rather have 3000 tiny holes then 4 large ones and thats my rule of thumb lolonly small evough for the T to put its leg on lol even my 3-4in genic has 1/8 in holes lmao

Ah well ig the dropped limbs arnt so bad thought mighta get them stuck in lid as u closed it or something. At least u dont hafta eyeball a bum leg *glares at P. cam* lol theyl be back. But just look around im sure hes within a few feet of his tub

Well it was a learning experience alright. Needle holes in EVERYTHING now lol. Like you I'll wait until they're probably too big until feeling safe. I wasn't comfortable with a spider that small anyways. But hey.... Freebie.

I just feel bad he's gone. And he unfortunately was on a cluttered shelf. So I've had no luck finding him. Ghostly little T that he is too.

Escape!

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